Honeydew Sorbet

1/2 cup water
1/3 cup granulated sugar
30 medium basil, leaves, washed, dried and finely minced
1 medium honeydew melon, well-ripened
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

In a small saucepan, combine water, sugar and basil; bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 1 minute, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes more; remove from heat and let cool.

Meanwhile, cut melon into slices; remove seeds and rind. Cube melon flesh; place in a food processor and chop melon into a pulp. (You should end up with about 4 to 4 1/2 cups of pulp.)

Combine cooled basil syrup, melon pulp and lime juice in a medium bowl. Freeze using one of these methods:

• Machine method - Run mixture through an ice cream maker as per manufacturer’s instructions. Serve immediately or put in freezer for future use. If frozen, soften in refrigerator for about 10 to 20 minutes before serving. Yields about 2/3 cup per serving.

• Freezer tray method - Pour mixture into a shallow metal pan and freeze halfway through, about 20 to 30 minutes. Rake a fork or spoon through partially frozen mixture so it does not freeze into a solid block; return pan to freezer and let freeze. Before serving, run sorbet through a food processor or blender to obtain desired texture. Yields about 2/3 cup per serving.

Serve this sorbet alone or pair it with another seasonal flavor like blueberry, raspberry or pineapple sorbet. Or add a sprinkling of summer berries for a dash of color.

Feel free to experiment with other accent flavors, too, such as mint or lemon verbena instead of basil.

8 servings

Points: 2